July 2009

The Nesbitt Art Gallery on the campus of the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma was established in June 1997 as the USAO Art Gallery and rechristened in May 2012 to honor the family of Charles and Margôt Nesbitt, its most generous patrons. Charles Nesbitt (1921-2007) served as Oklahoma's 9th Attorney General (1963-67). Margôt Nesbitt served for many years as Reverend Canon for St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in Oklahoma City before her retirement.

Opera singer, former area newspaper publisher and USAO graduate Dr. David Settle returns to Chickasha for a recital July 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the USAO Alumni Chapel. The performance is free and open to the public.

The finale of the program includes five advertising songs by Slonimsky including Make This a Day of Pepsodent, And Then Her Doctor Told Her, Snowy -- White, No More Shiny Nose, and Children Cry for Castoria.

Dr. Nancy Hector with her book "Juniper." A book signing for "Juniper" is scheduled July 15 from 1-2:30 p.m. at the USAO Bookstore, 17th and Alabama, in Chickasha. The book is available online at www.tatepublishing.com. Click "search our store" and enter the book's title. Both paper and electronic versions of the book are available.

Although it has been told in area classrooms, the Christmas story "Juniper" is being published and will be available to the rest of the world in August. But the children's book will be available this month for those who attend a book signing July 15 from 1-2:30 p.m. at the USAO Bookstore. The Bookstore is located at 17th and Alabama in Chickasha.

Author Nancy Hector will be on hand to sign copies of the books. Dr. Hector is an associate professor of education and coordinator of field-based experiences at USAO.

GETTING THEIR HANDS DIRTY -- Students enrolled in the Social Responsibility class spend Monday and Wednesday mornings working in the Community Garden at USAO. The garden is a project of the Service Learning/Civic Engagement program at the college. Dr. Craig Elder, assistant professor of management, teaches the Social Responsibility class and has been instrumental in the development of the garden.

Forget the assumption that people go to college to keep from getting their hands dirty. Helping the community – and getting dirty if necessary – is the aim of the Service Learning/Civic Engagement program at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.

The mission of the Service Learning/Civic Engagement (SLCE) program at the college is "to inspire the next generation of Oklahomans to become social entrepreneurs, leaders who apply creative problem solving skills to address the needs of underserved populations in our communities.

Freelance writer and USAO graduate Shanna Bartlett Groves will discuss her first novel Lip Reader during a book signing scheduled July 20 from 6-9 p.m. at Java Dave's Coffee House, 1724 South Fourth Street, in Chickasha. Groves will sign and sale copies of the novel, as well as read from the book. Groves based the novel on her own experiences with hearing loss. “I wrote Lip Reader to tell a story of a family dealing with hearing loss. This is a story that not only tells about their experiences with being hard of hearing in a hearing world, but also some of the reactions that other people have had with their deafness.”

Dealing with progressive hearing loss since she was 27, USAO graduate Shanna (Bartlett) Groves did what any good writer would do -- she wrote a novel. Groves' experiences inspired her novel, Lip Reader. She returns to Chickasha in July for a book signing and reading.

A book signing featuring Lip Reader is scheduled July 20 from 6-9 p.m. at Java Dave's Coffee House, 1724 South Fourth Street. Groves will sign and sale copies of the novel, as well as read from the book. Groves is a 1996 graduate of USAO and a 1992 graduate of Prague High School.